HUNGRY GOLDILOCKS! Calories too HIGH too LOW or JUST RIGHT?

pinkcoconutz

Hi! I'm a newbie! HOW do I know if my Daily CALORIE Goal (1,430 cal's (not including exercise cal's)) is too high, too low, or just right? (Female / 43 / 5' 10" / Sedentary / Exercise Goal: 3-4x/wk @ 30-45 min's / Weight Loss Goal: Lose 1 & 1/2 lbs/wk / Goal: lose about 50 lbs or so).

Feeling physically HUNGRY the past couple of days, and have a headache (actually 'hungry'-hungry - not just 'bored' or 'emotional'). Not sure if I am 'supposed' to feel hungry, in order to lose? Or, if I am messing up my metabolism by doing this. I've heard horror stories about folks not eating enough and their body goes into starvation mode and they end up GAINING weight very easily because their metabolism is so screwed up. I do NOT want that to happen. How do I avoid that happening?

Is it better to ZIG ZAG your calories - to keep your body guessing? I've heard that if you stick with eating the SAME amount of cal's every day - your body eventually adjusts for it, and it will slowwww down. Scary.

Basically, I'm afraid I'll mess up (slow down) my metabolism, and by the time I reach my GW I will only be able to eat half of a grape and butterfly wing to maintain (exaggerating), and if I eat more than that, that I'll GAIN + 20 lbs.

I have some friends that have done Weight Watchers, and they have lost - BUT they eat hardly anything now! Tiny packet of oatmeal, salad, tiny portion of fish & veg, and work out like a fiend 6 days/wk, always cranky and hungry. I don't want to be like that - I enjoy food, and I know that I could not stick with eating so little for the rest of my life. I want something I can stick with as a lifestyle.

Do I just take it week by week, and see how my body reacts to the calorie-restrictions? Do you go over or under? Do you re-adjust as you lose? What is the best approach?

Also, for folks that are KEEPING OFF their weight, do you find that you must eat less and less, in order to maintain? Has your metabolism seemed to have slowed, do you gain easily?

I want to start off on the right foot, and learn from others! Thank you!

GypsysBloodRose26

If you are getting sick from hunger, eat. Up your calories by selecting to lose half a pound or 1 pound and seethat helps. Listen to and learn from your body.

francesiax

You just have to wait and see there's no why of telling as everyone is different. I was on the same calories as you and lost weight but then plateaud and so I upped my calories by a few hundred and that seems to be working for me. If you're hungry eat something lower in calories being hungry won't help you in the long run. You'll most likely crack and eat a lot of food in one go.

mulderpf

It "sounds" about right, but one really important figure you didn't give, is what your current weight is. Check you BFP too, to make sure you have some to lose. Also, consider doing the weight loss a bit slower and up your calories slightly. Don't try and rush it, once you get started, it's going to take some time either way, you're in it for the long haul.

Calculate your BMR and your TDEE - you daily goal should be somewhere in between these figures for good, solid weight-loss that's sustainable.

The next thing to consider is how you make up those calories. For me, I know if I eat salads all day long, I'm constantly hungry. I hate salads and for me personally, it's not sustainable to eat it ever, so I just don't.

(Another good strategy I've seen was to eat the number of calories your TDEE would be at your goal weight. That way it's a good thing if your body gets used to the calories and it also isn't scary once you go into maintenance - I freak out each week I increase calories!!).

dianeellen2

Hi, i am 5'6" and 45 years old - i have currently lost 50lb in about a year of MFP - when i frist started i played around with calories (1200 one week, 1600 the next - repeat to fade...) - i was trying to find the 'magic' number but it doesnt exist. If you are hungry up your calories by 100? see how that feels.

Try increasing exercise (i dont mean down the gym, pumping iron or 3 hours cardio) i mean go for a walk, 1/2 an hour, round the block, gives you an extra 200 calories!

This is a lifestyle change; it takes time to settle.

I still have days where i am hungry but instead of thinking i need a packet of biscuits or a chocolate bar i will have a yogurt and a cereal bar.

Listen to your body, settle into a routine. this is about awareness - think about everything you eat andwalk every oppertunity you get.

Have fun; dont beat yourself up if you have a bad day (dont become obsessive - just become aware)

Add me if you want - my diary is open to my friends (you will see i have ice cream, chocolate etc but i stick to my calories and i exercise most days)

Diane

NocturnalGirl

Find out your TDEE and eat at a small deficit. It seems too low.

Check this:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

lilawolf

Use this to get reasonable numbers to aim for:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

I am 5'10, 160lbs (now) and was consistently losing 1lb a week on 1550 calories NET. Since I only had 20lbs to lose, 1lb a week is great. I was never once hungry. Make sure that you are eating at least at your BMR. If you are still hungry, up your protein, and reduce your carb intake. Also make sure that you are getting enough fats to keep your body running. Low fat usually means low sugar and more hunger. I keep my net carbs around 100g a day, and try to get at least 100g of protein a day, and again I have NEVER ONCE been hungry.

Enough water and sleep are also imperative.

If you are STILL hungry, go up to maintenance for a week (which is still probably a lot less than you were eating before), then cut 100 calories a week til you get down to approx your BMR. You are probably just shocking your system.

lilawolf

Find out your TDEE and eat at a small deficit. It seems too low.

Check this:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

This is a FANTASTIC idea lol

Sarauk2sf

Hi! I'm a newbie! HOW do I know if my Daily CALORIE Goal (1,430 cal's (not including exercise cal's)) is too high, too low, or just right? (Female / 43 / 5' 10" / Sedentary / Exercise Goal: 3-4x/wk @ 30-45 min's / Weight Loss Goal: Lose 1 & 1/2 lbs/wk / Goal: lose about 50 lbs or so).

Make sure you pick the correct activity level - sedentary means exactly that - you basically do nothing. Even if you have a desk job you should be lightly active, If you have kids, do a lot of other activties (non-exercise) this should all up your calories. I am a few years older than you, 4 inches shorter and lighter, and have a desk job and am basically lazy outside formal exercise, all of which means that my TDEE (the amount of calories I burn in a day) should be less than yours but I can lose weight on 1,700 without exercise. Also, you should eat most of your exercise calories back on top of your base target. I say most and not all to take into account inaccuracies in the estimates. Bear in mind that everything is an estimate so if you are not getting the expected results, which needs to be looked at on a 4 - 6 week basis to take into account any water weight fluctuations, then tweak up or down accordingly.

Feeling physically HUNGRY the past couple of days, and have a headache (actually 'hungry'-hungry - not just 'bored' or 'emotional'). Not sure if I am 'supposed' to feel hungry, in order to lose? Or, if I am messing up my metabolism by doing this. I've heard horror stories about folks not eating enough and their body goes into starvation mode and they end up GAINING weight very easily because their metabolism is so screwed up. I do NOT want that to happen. How do I avoid that happening?

If you are hungry and getting headaches this probably means you are not eating enough. The stories about starvation mode are very mis-understood here and the term is thrown around far too frequently. However, you can mess up your metabolism by under eating (adaptive thermogenesis) for long periods of time. In addition, if you are under eating, you are more likely to be tired and have lower energy and as such decrease your activity, thereby needing to eat less and ending up in a viscous cycling of cutting calories to lose weight all the time. This is one of the reasons to set a reasonable deficit. That being said, 1 1/2 lb a week with over 50lb to go is reasonable. When you get to less than 50 to go I would drop to 1lb a week goal.

Is it better to ZIG ZAG your calories - to keep your body guessing? I've heard that if you stick with eating the SAME amount of cal's every day - your body eventually adjusts for it, and it will slowwww down. Scary.

This is basically not true. Zig-zagging over complicates things and is not necessary for weight loss. Eating more on workout days however is beneficial from an energy perspective. However, if you are eating some of your exercise calories back you will be do this by default.

Basically, I'm afraid I'll mess up (slow down) my metabolism, and by the time I reach my GW I will only be able to eat half of a grape and butterfly wing to maintain (exaggerating), and if I eat more than that, that I'll GAIN + 20 lbs.

I have some friends that have done Weight Watchers, and they have lost - BUT they eat hardly anything now! Tiny packet of oatmeal, salad, tiny portion of fish & veg, and work out like a fiend 6 days/wk, always cranky and hungry. I don't want to be like that - I enjoy food, and I know that I could not stick with eating so little for the rest of my life. I want something I can stick with as a lifestyle.

Keep to a reasonable deficit and you should be fine. I would also recommend taking a diet break for a week or two every 8 - 12 weeks. Dieting is hard on the body and can screw your hormones up - this allows them to get back in sync.

Do I just take it week by week, and see how my body reacts to the calorie-restrictions? Do you go over or under? Do you re-adjust as you lose? What is the best approach?

Do not chop and change without giving things a chance to work. Weight loss is not linear and can be masked by water weight. That being said, as you lose weight, your TDEE will decrease naturally (all other things being equal) and you should be decreasing your deficit so you should reassess every few months,or earlier if you are not getting the expected results.

Also, for folks that are KEEPING OFF their weight, do you find that you must eat less and less, in order to maintain? Has your metabolism seemed to have slowed, do you gain easily?

I still have a couple of pounds to go but my metabolism is very good. I also lost weight and kept it off for years before becoming ill and gaining weight. The reason that I think that my metabolism is good and that I kept the weight off before is that I have never dieted with large deficits and I strength train - you should really look into some kind of resistance training - it has many benefits including body composition and improves bone density - something that is very important for women.

pinkcoconutz

Wow!! THANK YOU ALL sooo much! This is GREAT info.!! Exactly the stuff I was looking for. I truly appreciate it! :flowerforyou:

LoriA6724

Thank you pinkcoconutz for starting this topic! I just posted a similar question to my MFP friends yesterday. All of the replies you received are extremely helpful!

pinkcoconutz

You're welcome, ldesomer !